Week 4: Scientific Paradigm and Action Research Models

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Transcript of Week 4: Scientific Paradigm and Action Research Models

Week 4: Scientific Paradigm and Action Research ModelsScientific Method as a Way to View the World A.D. de Groot's empirical cycle:Observation: The collecting and organisation of empirical facts; Forming hypothesis.Induction: Formulating hypothesis.Deduction: Deducting consequences of hypothesis as testable predictions.Testing: Testing the hypothesis with new empirical material.Evaluation: Evaluating the outcome of testingSource: de Groot, A.D., Methodologie, 1961.What do scientists say about models?Some of what we have heard in the video fits with what we are learning about AR:

1) We all seem to begin with observation and we are looking to solve problems

2) one scientist in the video, Steve Harvey, said that we learn more when the model breaks down. Hadfield, as we will see in this week's reading, seems to agree.

What doesn't fit with AR?What do the scientists in the video say that may not work for AR:

1) Scientists prize results that are reproducible and predictable. As each circumstance in AR is unique, is there any point in trying to reproduce or to predict results? Is the result less valid if we can't reproduce it?

2) Physical world: the scientific model seems to focus on the physical reality around us. Do education and behaviour fit this reality?

To think about: do the models presented by McNiff on p. 60-61 work with or against the traditional scientific model?When we think about what we know about how scientists do their work, we usually think about something like this:Source: Wikipedia, The Empirical cycle.Think about what each person says about science, in light of what you have learned about AR.How Does the Scientific Model Fit with AR?